Deep Sea Embers

Amidst the cheerful greeting, Nina sprinted down the stairs, turned around and waved in the direction of the second floor before going towards the main doorway.

The off days are over, and today was another day to go to school again.

But before she reached the door, Nina suddenly stopped, noticing a shaking, shivering figure hiding behind a shelf not far away. It’s Shirley who came out of hiding.

“Ah, Shirley,” Nina stood there happily and beckoned to the girl, “I was wondering where you were. Do you want to go together?”

“Together?” Shirley blinked in confusion, “Where together?”

“School of course la. Today is…” Nina said subconsciously, only to realize her blunder halfway through. Making a slightly embarrassed expression, “Ah, sorry, I forgot…”

Shirley wasn’t her classmate nor attended the school, and the pleasant experience of spending time on campus was just an act. Nina knew it herself, yet the girl would still occasionally forget this fact.

The expression on Shirley’s face also became weird for a while, and her eyes showed an apology again. However, she quickly recovered and shook her head slightly: “I won’t go with you. My investigative activities have been completed at that school.”

“I guess so,” Nina pursed her lips, quickly returning to her usual smile, “sorry, I forgot. So I’ll go first?”

“Mmm,” Shirley nodded, but then remembering something, she added, “By the way, Nina, I… I’m going home today.”

“Going home?” Nina was stunned for a moment. It seems that in the span of only two days, she has taken Shirley as a member of this place for granted. Therefore, when the young lady heard this news, she had to take a good moment to process it, “Are you not staying here anymore?”

“I have to go home. My stay here had always been temporary,” Shirley waved her hand, saying what she had long wanted to say. “I told Mr. Duncan too, and he agreed.”

Nina didn’t say anything for a while, acting like she’s fallen into a shocked daze. Eventually, after a few seconds of spluttering, she managed to come out of it: “That… will you come back in the future?”

As long as it is possible, I really don’t want to come in the future. If possible, I want to steal a boat ticket and hide over at the Frost city-state.

The idea of running away flashed within Shirley’s mind, but then she seemed to sense a gaze falling on her body from the second floor. Shrinking her neck, she quickly corrected her train of thought: “I… I will come and find you if there’s an opening in the future. My home isn’t far away anyways, hahaha…”

Nina tilted her head, finding the behavior strange. Nevertheless, she quickly dropped the notion and got all happy again. To her, it’s good enough with the promise. Waving her hand cheerfully, she turned and ran out the front entrance, disappearing from view after turning around the street corner.

Shirley watched the other girl zooming off with a sort of daze at how quickly the attitude changed. Then suddenly, her instincts brought her back to attention after noticing the certain figure standing at the stairs behind herself.

“Cap… Good morning Mr. Duncan!” She jerked to rigid attention, greeting the owner of the shop with a rarely used polite greeting in her repertoire.

“You’re much more polite now. This is what a girl your age should look like,” Duncan said lightly, slowly walking down the stairs as he did so. “Did you finish explaining it to Nina yet? Are you going home today?”

“Yes…. I explained it to her clearly,” Shirley lowered her head, her voice not daring to be too loud. “You also agreed, I can leave today.”

“Why are you nervous again? Yesterday you were fine. Do you reset your tension every morning or something?” Duncan shook his head with a helpless smile and stepped forward to pat Shirley’s slightly thin shoulder, “Relax, I never said that I wanted to imprison you somewhere. I invited you to be a guest here so you can naturally go back when you want to go back. Of course, you can also come here any time you like.”

“I… I know,” Shirley nodded repeatedly, then deflated in a frustrated manner, “It’s… truth is, I am not that nervous inside like you think. This is all Dog’s doing. Whenever you get too close to me, he will instinctively tense up and transmit the emotion to me.”

“Oh Dog… Well then, guess there’s no way around it then. Perhaps it’s due to a shadow demon’s keener sense of perception.” Duncan shrugged and looked down at the petite girl, “But why don’t you think about it? You can really stay here if you like. The place where you and Dog is living sounds to me a bit rudimentary and unsafe at night.”

A subspace shadow claiming his lair was a safer place to live was simply unfathomable, borderline outrageous even. In the end, Shirley could only start giggling like an idiot after losing her vocabulary: “Ah… ahaha… that…”

“Forget what I said then, I’m just mentioning it to you. Don’t get riled up over it.” Duncan knew his words alone wouldn’t be able to change the girl’s mind, especially with Dog’s emotions being so negative. “If you want to leave then go ahead. You already know how to contact me anyways. Be sure to call me whenever you find new clues about these suntists.”

Shirley nodded silently.

After two dreamlike days of this life, she finally got permission to leave here, got the chance to escape this terrifying being, but when this opportunity really appeared… she suddenly found herself at a loss.

Chatting and frolicking with a “friend”, living under the care of an “elder”, warm bedroom, bright lights, delicious food, and a peaceful life without fear of nightmares or hiding from the guardians.

Now, she’s allowed to leave. Yet, for some reason, she got this ridiculous idea that…. that the bright world which she sought was having its door closed to her again….

“Our lives are going back on track, Shirley.” In the midst of the spiritual connection, she suddenly heard Dog’s low muttering:

“Yes, it’s time to get back on track,” Shirley muttered softly in her mind. Then she looked up and wanted to say goodbye to Mr. Duncan to find the man’s expression getting serious.

In the dark, Duncan had sensed a flash of aura in the distance. This signal… was one of the marks he left behind!

“Mr. Duncan?” Shirley nervously asks.

“I sensed an aura,” Duncan spoke softly without waiting for Shirley to finish. He stared off into the direction, “It seems to be coming from that direction.”

Shirley didn’t react at once: “An aura?”

“It’s the small fire I left for that little bug.” Duncan lowered his head slightly and looked into Shirley’s eyes, “Do you remember the umbrella freak who attacked you on the edge of your dreams?”

Shirley was stunned for a moment, and her eyes widened suddenly: “Is it the piece you sent ‘home’?” But…… but wasn’t that in the dream world…”

“Yes, it was an attacker who appeared in the dream world,” Duncan’s tone grew meaningful, “but now I perceived that mark in the real world.”

Shirley’s eyes widened, and she suddenly thought of what Mr. Duncan had said to herself in that nightmare: perhaps, it wasn’t just a dream.

“Shirley,” Duncan’s voice came suddenly, interrupting the girl’s memory. “Before you go home, do you want to take another adventure with me? Of course, if you don’t…”

“I DO!” Shirley replied immediately without waiting for the other party to finish speaking. Her attitude was so firm that even she was startled. Then, as if to ease the embarrassment, she explained, “That… that ‘thing’ appeared on the street after the fire, it must have something to do with the event eleven years ago…”

Duncan pressed Shirley’s shoulder: “Then we’ll go together.”

“But how do we get there?” Shirley took a soft breath, “Can you be sure of the exact location of that thing? We’re not going to take the bus like last time again, right…?”

Duncan smiled and shook his head: “I have a more convenient mode of transportation now.”

Shirley was stunned for a moment. But just as she was about to ask what kind of convenient transportation method, a small shadow suddenly swooped down from the staircase of the second floor and perched itself on the man’s shoulder.

“To the Erxian Bridge, walk Chenghua Avenue… Big seat! There’s a big seat in the back… Melon seed snack and mineral water! Keep your feet on your side!”

Shirley nearly fell over backward after hearing that sharp chirpy rambling. Then after a quick stumble, she finally recognized who it was: the strange dove that could eat French fries the size of herself in one meal!

Under the girl’s shocked gaze, Ai circled in the air again, unleashed the burning green flame around herself, and transformed into her undead skeletal form.

Shirley: “…?!”

She rigidly turned to face the man, only to be silenced by the flash that took her by surprise in the next…

Under Ai’s express delivery service and belt buckling yapping, the tiny vortex of flame dashed out of the antique shop and flew off into the distance.